President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their exchange, heightening tensions bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Allegations
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the US president suggested similar use of force against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating cocaine and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia has long been a close partner of Washington in the fight against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing from American politicians, but relations have worsened dramatically after Trump came to office.
Its drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.
Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not involved in narcotics," he declared.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will turn into numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest the president, which a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
Petro spent a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Increased Security and Broad Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Sanctions
Washington withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he encouraged US military personnel to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes against the president, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
